Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Chocolate Cupcakes

These cupcakes are moist, rich, and delicious - excellent personal birthday cakes.

12 muffin wells coated with palm shortening, or lined with paper liners
3/4 cup millet flour, or garbanzo bean (chickpea) flour, or quinoa flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch, or potato starch, or arrowroot starch, or cornstarch
1/3 cup soy-free vegan 100% cocoa powder
1/4 cup GF oat flour, or pure rice bran (Ener-G®), or pumpkin seed flour
2 teaspoons xanthan gum, or chia seed flour, or guar gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon agar powder, or unflavored gelatin of choice
1 cup light brown sugar, or evaporated cane juice, or granulated sweetener of choice (not stevia)
6 tablespoons pure olive oil, or coconut oil, or lard of choice, or butter of choice, or grapeseed oil
1 cup water
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, or coconut vinegar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  1. Place baking rack in third position; preheat oven to 350°F; grease each muffin well with palm shortening, or place paper liners in wells; set aside.
  2. In airtight container, combine millet flour, tapioca starch, cocoa powder, GF oat flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, sea salt, and agar powder; place on lid; shake vigorously to combine and to introduce air; set aside.
  3. In large bowl using an electric mixer, beat together light brown sugar, oil, water, vinegar, and pure vanilla extract; add dry ingredients; beat for 2 minutes; fill muffin wells two-thirds full.
  4. Place into preheated 350°F oven; bake 35 – 40 minutes, or until cooked through.
  5. Remove pan from oven; allow cupcakes to cool in pan 10 minutes; turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.
Cool completely prior to storage; store in airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days.

Top cupcakes as desired with Chocolate Frosting (page 148), or Buttercream Icing (page 145).

To freeze: place plain cupcakes individually on parchment lined baking sheet; wrap sheet tightly in plastic; freeze until firm, about 2 hours; remove cupcakes to plastic freezer bag; return to freezer; store up to 3 months.

Frost cupcakes just prior to serving.

Servings: 12 cupcakes
Preheat: 350°F
Prep Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 35 – 40 min

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

Marshmallows

Fun and easy to make, marshmallows are the perfect summer treat, as we all know they are an essential ingredient in S’mores! Prepare the pans ahead of time, and remember to have fun (and try not to eat them all in one sitting)!

Grapeseed oil and powdered sugar to lightly coat two 8" pans
2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin of choice, or agar powder*
3/4 cup water, divided
2 cups evaporated cane juice, or cane sugar, or light brown sugar, or granulated sweetener of choice (not stevia)
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, or pure flavor extract of choice
1/2 cup confectioner’s (powdered) sugar
  1. Lightly oil two 8”-square pans; dust with confectioner’s (powdered) sugar; set aside.
  2. Stir gelatin into 1/4 cup water; set aside to soften.
  3. Place remaining 1/2 cup water and granulated sugar in a small saucepan set over medium heat; cook until small amount dropped in cold water forms a soft ball (240°F); refrain from stirring, as this slows the process considerably.
  4. Once the correct temperature is reached, remove syrup from heat; add softened gelatin; stir until cooled.
  5. Stir in sea salt and pure vanilla extract, or other flavors such as cherry extract, lemon extract, mint extract, etc.
  6. Using an electric mixer, beat syrup until it turns white and thick, about 8 minutes. (This is the fun part!).
  7. Pour mixture into prepared pans, about 1"-thick.
  8. Set pans in cool place for about an hour – do not refrigerate.
  9. Turn marshmallow slabs out onto clean surface that has been heavily dusted with confectioner’s (powdered) sugar.
  10. Cut slabs into 1" cubes; roll each marshmallow in confectioner’s (powdered) sugar to coat entirely; shake off excess.
Store marshmallows in airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

Servings: 32
Preheat: None Needed
Prep Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 20 min

Notes
*Agar melts at 185°F (85°C) and solidifies between 90-104°F (32-40°C).

Gelatin is a translucent, colorless, brittle (when dry), nearly tasteless solid substance, produced by partial hydrolysis of collagen extracted from the boiled bones, connective tissues, organs, and some intestines of animals such as domesticated cattle, pigs, and horses.

Alternative sources of gelatin can be natural gel sources, such as agar-agar (a red algae), carrageenan (seaweed), pectin (fruit derived), or konjak (the large stalk of a plant). 

Wednesday, June 02, 2010

Boston Cream

Makes enough for a 9-inch pie.

2 cups water
2/3 cup Vance’s DariFree® powder, or powdered milk of choice
1/2 cup cane sugar, or evaporated cane juice, or light brown sugar (divided)
2 tablespoons egg replacer powder
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 pinch sea salt
1/4 cup tapioca starch, or cornstarch, or arrowroot starch
2 tablespoons soy-free vegan buttery spread (Earth Balance®), or butter of choice
  1. In saucepan set over medium heat, bring 2 cups water to a simmer; whisk in Vance’s DariFree® powder, stirring until completely dissolved; add 1/4 cup cane sugar, stirring until completely dissolved; remove from heat to cool.
  2. In mixing bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup cane sugar, egg replacer powder, and 1/4 cup water; whisk until frothy; add pure vanilla extract and sea salt; whisk to combine; add 1/4 cup tapioca starch; whisk until foamy.
  3. While whisking, add mixture to  saucepan; whisk until well combined; beat in butter of choice.
  4. Pour into storage container; cover with plastic wrap, pressing wrap against the filling to prevent skin from forming; refrigerate at least 2 hours, and up to overnight.
Serve in place of “whipped topping”; or slice a prepared cake of choice into three layers and frost between layers and over surface of cake.

Servings: 2-1/2 cups
Preheat: None
Prep Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 10 min

Variations
Omit Vance’s DariFree® powder: replace 2 cups water with 2 cups milk of choice.
To use egg: omit egg replacer powder; omit 1/4 cup water; beat 4 egg yolks in during step 2.

Tuesday, June 01, 2010

Brownies


Light, yummy, rich – yet free of egg, oil, dairy, and wheat!

Palm shortening for baking pan
Brown rice flour for baking pan
1/4 cup brown rice flour, or white rice flour, or millet flour
1/4 cup soy-free vegan 100% cocoa powder
1/4 cup tapioca starch, or cornstarch, or arrowroot starch
2 tablespoons potato starch, or cornstarch, or arrowroot starch
1 tablespoon GF oat flour, or hazelnut meal, or almond meal, or garbanzo bean (chickpea) flour, or brown rice flour
1 tablespoon pure rice bran (Ener-G®), or GF oat flour, or garbanzo bean (chickpea) flour
2 teaspoons egg replacer powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon xanthan gum, or guar gum, or arrowroot starch
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup evaporated cane juice, or light brown sugar, or cane sugar, or granulated sweetener of choice (not stevia)
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (page 107), or pear sauce (page 115)
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups soy-free vegan chocolate chips (Enjoy Life®)
  1. Place baking rack in third position; preheat oven to 350°F; using palm shortening heavily grease a 6" x 9" baking pan; dust lightly with brown rice flour; shake pan to coat evenly; tap out excess; set aside.
  2. In airtight container, combine brown rice flour, cocoa powder, tapioca starch, potato starch, GF oat flour, pure rice bran, egg replacer powder, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, and sea salt; place on lid; shake vigorously to combine and to introduce air; set aside.
  3. In large bowl, beat together evaporated cane juice, unsweetened applesauce, water, and pure vanilla extract.
  4. Add dry ingredients; beat 3 minutes with hand mixer; beat in chocolate chips.
  5. Pour batter into prepared pan; spread evenly; smooth off top.
  6. Place into preheated 350°F oven; bake 25 – 30 minutes.
  7. Remove pan to wire cooling rack; cool in pan 5 minutes; turn out onto wire rack; cool completely.

Slice into desired shapes (for fun use a unique-shaped cookie-cutter – then you get to eat the scraps!).

Store wrapped tightly in plastic, or in airtight container up to 3 days.

To freeze: slice brownies, place on metal baking sheet, wrap tightly in plastic and freeze until solid, about 1 hour. Remove brownies to airtight container, freeze up to 1 month.

To thaw: place brownie on plate; leave at room temperature until soft enough to eat, or heat for a few seconds in a microwave, toaster oven, or preheated oven.

Servings: 24
Preheat: 350°F
Prep Time: 15 min
Cooking Time: 25 min

Variations
To use egg: omit egg replacer powder; omit water; beat 1 egg and incorporate during step 4.